Nuclear pollution has long been a global concern, with major accidents like those at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima highlighting the serious health and environmental risks associated with nuclear disasters. These incidents not only caused immediate health issues such as radiation sickness and increased cancer rates but also led to long-term environmental damage and genetic mutations in affected populations. Consequently, nuclear pollution remains a significant worry for governments, academics, and society worldwide.
When nuclear accidents occur near coastlines, the marine environment becomes a key point due to the vital role oceans play in climate regulation, food security, and supporting billions of livelihoods globally. In recent years, escalating threats to marine ecosystems from mounting ocean pollution have spurred increased public awareness of marine environmental protection. Studies have shown that human activities pose a significant threat to marine environments, emphasizing the need for improved environmental governance and measures to address environmental risks.
Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, efforts to cool the reactors by injecting seawater led to the accumulation of a vast amount of nuclear waste within the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant’s water storage tower. Despite attempts to manage this waste, the Japanese government’s decision to discharge nearly 1.26 million tons of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over the next 40 years has faced opposition from neighboring countries, Japanese residents, and international environmental organizations.
This discharge poses substantial risks to marine life, fisheries, and human health. Radioactive isotopes (放射性同位素) such as tritium, carbon-14, cobalt-60, and strontium-90 present in the wastewater can accumulate in marine organisms, ultimately affecting human populations through the food chain. Therefore, further research and mitigation measures to address the wide-ranging consequences of nuclear pollution on the environment and human health are urgently needed.
In conclusion, while nuclear power may offer benefits, the potential risks, as highlighted by incidents like Fukushima, underscore the importance of stringent safety measures and thorough consideration of environmental impacts.
1. What are three major nuclear accidents mentioned in the passage?| A．Fukushima, Hiroshima, Nagasaki |
| B．Chernobyl, Fukushima, Hiroshima |
| C．Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima |
| D．Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Nagasaki |
| A．Because marine life is directly affected by nuclear pollution. |
| B．Because marine environments are more vulnerable to radiation. |
| C．Because marine pollution exacerbates the impact of nuclear disasters. |
| D．Because oceans play a significant role in regulating climate and supporting livelihoods. |
| A．Concerns about potential economic benefits |
| B．Fear of increased fishing restrictions |
| C．Possible risks to marine life and human health |
| D．Lack of available technology for wastewater treatment |
| A．The potential risks to marine life and human health. |
| B．The present research and mitigation measures. |
| C．The environmental and social consequences of nuclear accidents. |
| D．The opposition from neighboring countries and environmental organizations. |
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【推荐1】For Beth Terry, when she read an article about how seabirds are being killed by discarded plastics, she realized that it was time to give up plastics.
First, she focused on her kitchen and got rid of the shopping bags and other plastic products. Then she turned to her bathroom. Toothpaste without plastic packaging was extremely hard to find, so she started making her own with baking soda.
Sometimes her personal war on plastics created awkward moments. During a vacation to Disneyland in California to run a half-marathon, Ms Terry and her husband left their reusable cloth bags in the hotel, soon discovering that the local supermarket only had plastic bags. How should they carry her fruits like apples, oranges, pears and melons?
“We just rolled them up in our T-shirts and carried them that way,” said Ms Terry, 54, recalling how she crab-walked back to the hotel to stay true to her principles. “ If I let myself off the hook this time, it would be easier for me to take plastics next time,” she said.
Treating plastics like a drug habit that needs to be kicked is a lifestyle promise being shared by more and more consumers, horrified by tens of millions of tons of plastics created worldwide each year, much of it in the form of single-use items like straws that end up in landfills(垃圾填埋场）or,worse, the oceans.
If you gathered up all your plastic waste each week, as Mr. Terry once did, you would have a small hill on the floor. How should we begin? “The one thing I want to make people know is to go step by step. Don’t try to do everything at once,” said Ms. Terry, who is the author of Plastic-Free:How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too.
1. What made Beth Terry give up plastics in her life?| A．Seeing some horrible scenes. |
| B．Reading about some terrible news. |
| C．Finding piles of plastic waste in her room. |
| D．Knowing about the annual creation of plastics. |
| A．Difficult. | B．Absurd. | C．Relaxing. | D．Terrible. |
| A．Allow myself to ask a favor. |
| B．Remind myself to keep on trying. |
| C．Remind myself to make a change. |
| D．Allow myself to get out of trouble. |
| A．To remember your original aims. |
| B．To stay true to your principles. |
| C．To make gradual progress. |
| D．To keep your word. |
【推荐2】Every year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, and people all around the world celebrate this day by taking part in environmental awareness activities and working towards raising awareness about important issues that our planet Earth is currently facing, like global warming and pollution.
Before the 1970s, there were almost no environmental laws and industries were allowed to dump their industrial waste and fumes anywhere in the world. A US Senator by the name of Gaylord Nelson was concerned by the growing levels of pollution. So in the spring of 1970, Senator Nelson created Earth Day as a way to promote awareness about these issues in the US. His plan was successful, as 20 million Americans started a march for Earth Day around the world. As a result, the US government started an agency called the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Over the next few years, the movement spread across the world and Earth Day became internationally recognised.
The theme of Earth Day 2021 is “restore our Earth”. The focus of this year’s theme is restoring Earth’s natural processes and ecosystems. Apart from that, the goal of this year’s Earth Day is to focus on taking green technologies and creative actions to restore the Earth’s natural ecosystem. More than stopping pollution and global warming, this year’s Earth Day focuses on reversing the damage caused to the Earth.
Despite strict environmental laws in many countries across the world, problems such as global warming, air pollution and climate change continue to threaten our planet. Many scientists around the world are warning us about the already irreversible(不可逆的) problems that have been created by microplastics, oil spills and depletion(消耗) of the ozone layer. If the human race continues on the same path as before, the extinction of the human race is not too far off in the future. Earth Day seeks to help raise people’s awareness around the world about these issues and bring positive changes, so future generations stand a chance of living a safer life.
1. What is the theme of this year’s Earth Day?| A．To slow down global warming. |
| B．To reduce individuals’ carbon footprint. |
| C．To promote the development of emerging industries. |
| D．To restore the Earth’s natural processes and ecosystems. |
| A．Running long-distance races. |
| B．Starting a movement on recycling. |
| C．Attending a lecture about human rights. |
| D．Participating in medical research on cancers. |
| A．Establishing a Day for the Earth |
| B．Efforts to Bring the Earth back to Normal |
| C．A Day for Promoting Environmental Awareness |
| D．A Fight against Severe Environmental Problems |
【推荐3】The kakapo is the world’s heaviest and only flightless parrot. Now, some scientists are using advanced technology to rescue the endangered kakapos. If successful, the techniques used may help save other bird species as well.
The few remaining kakapos live on three small islands, where their progress can be monitored through a smart device. Once found in large numbers across New Zealand, the cute bird, which can weigh up to 11 pounds (5 kilograms), is now heading to extinction. While cruel predators (捕食者) such as foxes, cats, and snakes are largely to blame, the kakapo’s strange habits of laying eggs don’t help either. For starters, the parrots, which can live up to 100 years, do not start laying eggs until the age of five.
Scientists have set up individual feeding stations for all the birds to keep track of how much they eat. Given the difficulties to increasing the population, it is not surprising that only 114 adult parrots remain. Though the number is low, it is a great improvement over the 51 kakapos that remained on Earth in 1995. The increase of its population results from the government’s decision to remove the 51 birds to three small predator-free islands off the coast of New Zealand, and the efforts of a team led by Andrew Digby, a kakapo scientist for the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
A four-day-old kakapo chick will receive a health check. Young chicks in nests are examined and weighed every night, to ensure they are healthy.
Once the birds lay eggs, the eggs are carefully moved from the nests and taken to a hatching (孵化) room to hatch. “We tend to be more successful at raising kakapo eggs than the kakapo,” says Digby. “We break less of them. ” Once the eggs hatch, each mother is given only one chick, while the rest of the newborns are hand-fed (人工喂养). This helps ensure they all receive enough food.
1. What makes the kakapo unique in the parrot family?| A．Its food. | B．Its way of hatching. |
| C．Its feather. | D．Its flightless heavy body. |
| A．The way it feeds the young. | B．The environment it needs to live in. |
| C．The nature of its natural enemies. | D．The cause of its being endangered. |
| A．Giving the kakapos a new home without natural enemies. |
| B．Setting up individual feeding stations for the kakapos. |
| C．Building a fence to keep the predators away. |
| D．Driving all the predators nearby away. |
| A．To help the mother kakapo keep laying eggs. |
| B．To make every chick get enough food to survive. |
| C．To protect the mother kakapo from the predators. |
| D．To protect the chick from being killed by accident. |
【推荐1】A new study by scientists at Utrecht University concludes that about half of global wastewater is treated, rather than the previous estimate of 20%. Despite this promising finding, the authors warn that treatment rates in developing countries are still very low.
Humans and factories produce vast quantities of wastewater per day. If not properly collected and treated, wastewater may severely threaten human health and pollute the environment.
The authors use national statistics to estimate volumes of wastewater production, collection, treatment and reuse. “Globally, about 359 billion cubic metres of wastewater is produced each year, equivalent to 144 million Olympic-sized swimming pools,” says Edward Jones, PhD researcher at Utrecht University. “About 48 percent of that water is currently released untreated. This is much lower than the frequently announced figure of 80%.”
While the results show a more optimistic outlook, the authors stress that many challenges still exist. “We see that particularly in the developing world, where most of the future population growth will likely occur, treatment rates are falling behind,” Jones explains. “In these countries, wastewater production is likely to rise at a faster pace than the current development of collection and treatment basic facilities. This poses serious threats to both human health and the environment.”
The main problem, especially in the developing world, is the lack of financial resources to build basic facilities to collect and treat wastewater. This is particularly the case for advanced treatment technologies, which can be extremely expensive. However, the authors highlight potential opportunities for creative reuse of wastewater streams that could help to finance improved wastewater treatment practices.
“The most obvious reuse of treated wastewater is to increase freshwater water supplies,” Jones states. Treated wastewater reuse is already an important source of irrigation water in many dry countries. However, only 11% of the wastewater produced globally is currently being reused, which shows large opportunities for expansion.
“But freshwater increasing is not the only opportunity,” says Jones. “Wastewater also has large potential as a source of nutrients and energy. Recognition of wastewater as a resource, opposed to as ‘waste’, will be the key to driving improved treatment going forward.”
However, the authors stress the importance of proper monitoring of wastewater treatment factories, accompanied by strong legislation (法律) and regulations, to ensure that the reuse of wastewater is safe. The authors also acknowledge public acceptance as another key barrier towards increasing wastewater reuse.
1. According to the author, the meaning of treating wastewater lies in ________.| A．encouraging new scientific findings |
| B．estimating volumes of wastewater production |
| C．ensuring human health and protecting the environment |
| D．measuring how much wastewater is produced globally per day |
| A．equal | B．harmful | C．useful | D．friendly |
| A．treated wastewater can’t be used as irrigation water |
| B．wastewater production in developing countries is falling |
| C．the treatment of wastewater is more serious than estimated |
| D．public recognition plays an important role in wastewater reuse |
【推荐2】Any time we burn fossil fuels, we’re pumping fine particulate matter（细颗粒物）from oil, gas and
other toxins（毒素）into the air. “Some of these carbon particles can persist in the lungs for decades,” says Dr. Don Sin, a respirologist and director of the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation in Vancouver.
Over 7,000 Canadians died from complications due to poor air quality in 2015. A study in the European Heart Journal earlier this year found that air pollution now kills 8.8 million people worldwide per year —more than tobacco smoking.
Sin adds that women’s lungs seem particularly easy to get cancer from pollution. Currently, 10,000
Canadian women die of lung cancer every year, and 15 per cent of new cases are people who have never smoked. “In Canada, lung-cancer deaths in female non-smokers will very soon probably outnumber the deaths from breast cancer, because lung cancer is so deadly,” he says.
Contributing to air pollution are the 8,000 wildfires we experience every year in Canada, like those that destroyed large areas of Alberta this past spring. These are increasing in frequency and intensity with our hotter, drier spells. A study in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine found that prescriptions for an asthma and COPD drug rose by 22 per cent in the Yellowknife region in the summer of 2014, when it was surrounded by wildfire smoke. The number of ER visits for breathing problems was 42 per cent higher; for children, it more than doubled.
Another threat to breathing is mould, which is a concern in areas with repeated flooding, such as around New Brunswick’s Saint John River, where floodwaters have been in homes for two years in a row and displaced more than 200 families. Moulds produce toxins and spores that can trigger allergic reactions or infections if taken in. Rising sea levels and increased urban development, combined with intense rainfalls, mean we will see a lot more of it.
To avoid breathing polluted air, wear a mask rated N95 — not a surgical mask, which is useless, says Sin. “Those are too thin and easily torn. They won’t protect you at all from air particles.” On bad-air days,get your exercise indoors, for instance by walking in an air-conditioned mall.
1. Which of the following is True according to the passage?| A．15 per cent of Canadian women have never smoked. |
| B．1,000 Canadian women die of lung cancer every year. |
| C．Air pollution has killed 8.8 million people in the world. |
| D．Over 7,000 Canadians died as a result of air pollution in 2015. |
| A．Hot weather. | B．Cigarette end. |
| C．Dry plants. | D．Poor management. |
| A．Sea levels rising. |
| B．Development of countryside. |
| C．Lots of rainfalls. |
| D．Growth of city. |
| A．Wearing a surgical mask. |
| B．Taking exercise. |
| C．Walking indoors. |
| D．Sleeping longer hours. |
【推荐3】Millions of tons of electronic waste, known as e-waste, is produced ever year. In 2016, the world’s population make 49 million tons of electronic waste. It has been calculated that there will be more than 60 million tons by 2021. The amount of electronic waste is growing so rapidly that it has become a global problem that needs to be addressed.
What is causing the upsurge(激增)in e-waste? Technology is becoming more and more widespread, covering almost every aspect of our lives. Meanwhile, the lifespan of devices is getting shorter— many products will be thrown away once their batteries(电池)die, to be replaced by new devices. Companies update the design or software so quickly and it is usually cheaper and easier to buy a new product than to repair an old one. Since prices are falling, electronic devices are in demand around the world.
As more people buy electronic equipment, manufacturers(制造商)are beginning to face shortages of the raw material needed to make their products, so recycling and reusing materials from discarded(废弃的)products and waste makes economic and environmental sense. Recycling e-waste is practiced both formally and informally. Formal e-waste recycling usually involves taking apart the electronics, separating and sorting through the materials and cleaning them. Companies must obey health and safety rules to reduce the health and environmental harm of handling e-waste by using pollution-control technologies. All this makes formal recycling expensive.
With the amount of e-waste growing around the world, recycling alone will not be enough to handle the problem. In order to reduce e-waste, manufacturers need to design electronics that are safer, and more durable (耐用的)repairable. As a customer, you’d better get our old product repaired if possible and buy a new device only when you really need.
1. The underlined word “addressed” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by _________.| A．reduced | B．changed |
| C．controlled | D．solved |
| A．The problems caused by the upsurge in e-waste. |
| B．The reasons for e-waste’s sharp increasing. |
| C．The bad effect of updating devices. |
| D．The causes of devices’ price dropping. |
| A．Improving the quality of e-devices. |
| B．Lowering the costs of technology innovation. |
| C．Relieving companies’ lacking raw materials. |
| D．Increasing the variety of electronic products. |
| A．Recycling is the only way to reduce e-waste. |
| B．Companies should be mainly responsible for reducing e-waste. |
| C．Repairing a device is better than buying a new one. |
| D．Everyone should take action to reduce e-waste. |
【推荐1】Do you want to see majestic lions roaring, rare rhinos running and colorful birds flying? You’ll find this incredible display of nature in the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley.
First stop
Fly into Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. This great city is known for its fashion markets and beautiful art. And be sure to pick up some rich Kenyan coffee while you’re there! Then head for the countryside.
Plan your trip
The largest of the three lakes in the system, Lake Nakuru, is less than 175 kilometers from Nairobi. But Lakes Bogoria and Elementaita are equally worth a visit. You can stay at one of several choices of luxurious cabins in the valley. And if you sign up for a trip, be sure to put flamingos, the white and pink birds, at the top of your list.
Paradise
The Kenya Lake System is shallow and alkaline (碱性的). That means it supports vegetation such as green algae, a food source for many waterfowl. Hundreds of species of birds flourish here, using this area as a major breeding and nesting ground. Water buffalo, leopards, monkeys and the endangered Rothschild giraffe also make this area their home.
Other sights
Wildlife isn’t the only natural wonder in the Great Rift Valley. The valley marks a place where the earth is divided far below the surface. This rock separation below ground leads to noticeable feature s above ground. Walking around Lake Bogoria especially, you will see steam rising from hot springs.
Other activities include golfing, horseback riding and hiking. The fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down, either. The river valley is far from city lights, so many visitors gaze at the stars shining above.
If you are ready for a wildlife experience, don’t hesitate!
1. Where can you buy fashionable gifts in Kenya?| A．Nairobi. | B．Lake Nakuru. | C．Lake Bogoria. | D．Lake Elementaita. |
| A．Playing golf. | B．Gazing at shining stars. |
| C．Visiting hot springs. | D．Seeing flamingos. |
| A．Health. | B．Travel. | C．Science. | D．Busniess. |
【推荐2】Have you ever noticed that some people can eat what they want and stay in shape, while others carefully watch what they eat and still put on weight? How frustrating! However, scientists are beginning to believe that some people get the ability to stay thin from their parents.
Scientists say that when some people eat, their bodies will naturally store the excess energy from food as fat. These people gain weight if they eat more than they need each day. Meanwhile, other people eat more than they need but their bodies are able to “burn off ” the extra food without making fat, so they rarely have weight problems.
To show that this is true, scientists have experimented on laboratory mice. They gave the mice a special diet with a lot of fat. Some mice gained weight while the other mice stayed thin, even though both groups of mice ate the same amount of food and got the same amount of exercise. Scientists concluded that weight gain seemed to be influenced by genetic factors. They also believe they have now identified the genes that may cause this tendency. These genes, according to the scientists, get passed down the generations. Armed with this knowledge, they believe it may be possible to develop medicines that can target the genes and stop people from gaining weight.
The study of weight gain is becoming more important as the number of people who are overweight continues to grow. In the United States, over seventy percent of the population have weight problems. This means they are at risk of illness such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
Current medicines for weight control do not work very well because they can have serious side effects, such as heart problems. However, it takes a long time to develop and thoroughly test new drugs. Therefore, despite this breakthrough in the study of weight-loss drugs, scientists and health professionals all agree that currently the best way to control weight gain is to have a healthy, balanced diet and an active lifestyle with daily exercise. This will not only help people avoid becoming overweight, but also help them stay healthy and energetic.
1. According to the scientists, why do some people gain weight easily?| A．Because their genes cause the tendency. |
| B．Because their bodies do not make fat. |
| C．Because their bodies store energy from food as fat. |
| D．Because they eat more than they need each day. |
| A．They did the experiment to find the gene that stop people from gaining weight. |
| B．They did the experiment to find the reason why people gain weight. |
| C．They did the experiment to show the importance of healthy food. |
| D．They did the experiment to show the importance of regular exercise. |
| A．The balanced diet. | B．The weight problems. |
| C．The lack of exercise. | D．The lack of drugs. |
| A．To inform us of serious side effects of the weight-loss drugs. |
| B．To introduce a breakthrough of the weight-loss drugs. |
| C．To advise us to develop a healthy lifestyle. |
| D．To encourage us to develop and test new drugs. |
【推荐3】Where Did Music Come From?
Look anywhere and you’ll find music. Without a single exception, every culture produces some form of it. Yet music’s origin remains one of the great secrets of human history.
The oldest known instruments are 42,000-year-old bone flutes discovered in caves in Germany. Music surely appeared earlier, but the problem is that music doesn’t fossilize and our brains don’t fossilize. With little hard evidence, scientists still discuss what evolutionary purpose music serves or whether it serves any purpose at all.
For many years, music researchers have more or less settled into two camps: those who believe the evolution of music is a biological adaptation, and those who believe it’s a cultural invention. In the latter argument, the music we love dearly is no more than “auditory cheesecake”, as evolutionary scientist Steven Pinker said. Rather than a biological adaptation in its own right, music is a pleasing byproduct of other adaptations, like language. “As far as biological cause and effect are concerned, music is useless,” Pinker said. “Music could disappear from our mankind and the rest of our lifestyle would be absolutely unchanged.”
Some found this conclusion too dismissive. After all, the capacity to make and enjoy music seems rooted in each of us, just like other valuable adaptations. “These days music is a profession, but even ordinary people who never had a music lesson have implicit knowledge of the structure of the music of their culture,” says Sandra Trehub, a scientist at the University of Toronto. What’s more, Trehub studies music sense in babies. They are strongly attracted to music, and they can even remember music months after hearing it. “You see these amazing abilities,” she says, “and you have to think that there is a biological foundation for it.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean we evolved that foundation for music, but many scientists have offered explanations for why we might have. Some argue music is a system for social relationships, helping us to exist together in united, well-functioning groups. Another possibility is that music originates from the relaxing sounds parents make to communicate with babies. Some researchers even argue that the earliest form of music may have given rise to language itself. Others think that music and language share a common ancestor.
Some have sought a way around the adaptation-invention difference. A musicologist Savage and his group tell the difference between music (a cultural product) and musicality (a biological foundation that allows us to create and appreciate music). This alone doesn’t explain the final origin of music, but it does allow room for both nature and nurture. They suggest that cultural music and biological musicality have developed together, in a kind of “gene-culture evolution”.
1. People who see music as a cultural product believe that ________.| A．lifestyles of people change greatly without music |
| B．music is just a little more attractive than a tasty cheesecake |
| C．music is an unexpected result of certain biological adaptations |
| D．music serves the purpose of evolving in response to their surroundings |
| A．babies are able to memorise music after hearing it for months |
| B．babies are better at recognising musical differences than adults |
| C．people without musical training know about the musical structure in their culture |
| D．music comes from the sounds made by parents when they communicate with babies |
| A．Worthless. | B．Unusual. | C．Hopeless. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Savage’s theory clearly explains where music came from. |
| B．Savage believes biological musicality appeared earlier than cultural music. |
| C．Savage’s theory is considered to be the broadest cultural music theory so far. |
| D．Savage combines both the adaptation and invention views of music in his research. |
